It would be difficult to underestimate the influence of Stuart Webber on Norwich City, even though, as I discovered last week, there are still a few people out there desperate to criticise him, however inaccurately.

In that particular instance it was an attempt to hold the Sporting Director, who is not involved in the commercial side of the club, responsible for the membership fiasco, but, as they say, there’s nowt as queer as folk…

However, I digress, because what I wanted to write about was the less obvious impact that Webber is having in shaping the future of this football club.

While bringing in the likes of Josip Drmic, Patrick Roberts and Ralf Fährmann to the first-team squad are the things that garner headlines, what’s really exciting me is what’s happening elsewhere in the club.

It’s a fact that City’s youth system hasn’t been awfully successful in the last 20 years, despite that FA Youth Cup win in 2013, with the Murphy twins the only members of that team to prove themselves at the highest level, and a great deal of money has been invested by the club to largely supplement the rosters of lower and non-league teams.

For a club with no rich benefactor that was a major problem, and one compounded by the relative datedness of the training facilities, which was also having an effect on the club’s ability to attract first team players.

Clearly, something had to change and the new Colney that is now being unveiled has brought the club’s facilities bang up-to-date and justified the faith of the many fans who invested their money in the Canaries Bond. It has proved an excellent investment both in monetary terms and its effect on the club.

It’s worth remembering how things stood when the bond was launched. City were struggling on the pitch and there was plenty of discontent in the stands and consequently no shortage of people smugly predicting we would never see our money again – but what a trip we’ve all been on since then.

Of course, the rebuilding of the first-team squad has been widely heralded as a massive success, but it’s worth taking a closer look at what’s been going on beneath that level because there has been a huge amount of activity.

In Webber’s first season (2017/18) the club added five new Under-23 players. These included Simon Power, who is currently attracting a lot of acclaim not least for his blistering pace and has just been loaned out to Scottish Premier League side Ross County for first team experience, and Savvas Mourgos, picked up from Arsenal and doing well on loan at Dordrecht last season until a cruciate injury ended his season, and also Adam Idah, who has now joined the first team squad for pre-season

Last season saw the arrival of no less than nine new Under-23 squad members as the policy of identifying and bringing in external potential, which had already yielded the likes of Ben Godfrey, Jamal Lewis and Max Aarons before Webber’s arrival, was expanded. Included in that intake was highly rated centre back Akinlolu Famewo, who made his first-team debut for Luton Town (the club that produced both Lewis and Aarons) in 2016, and this summer has already seen five new players arrive.

However, it’s not just about the numbers, it’s about the quality of the players now coming in, with City’s new Premier League status being reflected in the class of this year’s intake.

While 17-year-old Daniel Adshead may not be a name recognised by too many supporters, he was the youngest ever first-team player at Rochdale, an England Under-18 international and last year was reportedly on the verge of a seven-figure move to Manchester United. As an attacking midfielder with an eye for goal, he has more than a passing resemblance to James Maddison at a similar age.

Under-19 international Archie Mair is regarded as one of the best young goalkeeping prospects in Scotland (admittedly a nation not known for excellence in that area…) and if he turns out to be anything like as good as City’s last goalkeeping signing from the Granite City he should do just fine.

Rob Nizet, a 17-year-old fullback from Anderlecht, is already a fixture in the Belgian Under-17 side and has this week been joined by fellow countryman Rocky Bushiri, a centre-back who has already been capped five times by his country at Under-21 level despite only turning 19 last November.

The quintet was completed by Aidan Fitzpatrick, a long time Webber target who was finally secured from Partick Thistle despite interest from Rangers and Celtic, and another player who has already played for his country at international level.

Having established a uniform style of play throughout the club, City are clearly recruiting players who are comfortable on the ball and already capable of being loaned out at a high level while pushing for first-team exposure in the not too distant future.

Actually, make that quintet a sextet, with today’s announcement that the club have nabbed Charlie Gilmour, a defensive midfielder who made his Arsenal first-team debut last season in the Europa League.

Of course, some of these players won’t make the grade at Carrow Road, either due to arrested development or injury, but I can’t remember a time when I’ve been more excited about the depth of talent coming through the youth system at Norwich.

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Five years of Emi (okay we might get that lucky in terms of actual longevity but I doubt it) and then the arrival of Charlie Gilmour. The latter I had a heads up on (without being brave enough to post about it on MFW) but I certainly did not anticipate that Emi would put his paw on that length of contract.

As you say it’s brilliant stuff from the Club.

To the best of my knowledge Charlie isn’t related to Pink Floyd guitarist Dave, whose son is infamous for attempting to scale Nelson’s Column..

Being an older city supporter and at the time i can remember when city were producing players that really kept the club afloat
Sutton, Fox, Powell, Fashanu, Green, Bellamy, plus others all sold to make money and all have gad good careers at other clubs.

The ones that I feel sorry for are those thst at the time were expected to make it big like the Jarvis brothers, Ian Henderson, Crow, again there are many if these that gave no fall back.

There was an article about a few players that had no made the grade at their repective clubs and the thing that got me was they all said a similar story called into the managers office and and told you are released you have no future here.

One was asked was it your dream to be a footballer and his reply was no, but I was told I could make it and it pleased my parents so it was more there dream, but he also said that not enought is done to help lads that don’t make it.

The lads like Abrahams just released by city will have a similar experience now teams are returning for pre season, I hope that city has a plan that can help them either find a club in a lower league or sort out their future in the short to long term, going from an enclosed environment can be a great shock and some do eventually make a career in football after being released Dion Dublin, Vardy and many more.

City are getting released players from other top academy’s and they filter down to the next level with the hope of proving them wrong which can be a bonus for city, the biggest hurdle is getting their mentality right, a player city took on from Liverpool Philips I read was the next Gerrad after a sever injury he was released by them came to city proved his fitness and looked good 2 loans later released such a shame,

Lets hope that city and the players just signed all succeed in this endeavour

Still waiting for the Academy to announce the acquisition of Johnathan Tomkinson of Plano, Texas, who is an ’02 center-back with Solar FC (Dallas), and prior to that FC Dallas’ academy, which is the most productive in North America. I believe is also getting a USMNT U-18 invite. His mom is English so that helps clear the visa hurdle. I’m looking forward to seeing him develop. Here are his highlight reels on Hudl. https://www.hudl.com/profile/8413530/Jonathan-Tomkinson

Looking at it objectively, it’s seems bizarre that more clubs aren’t exploring this route. Even if we were to be blessed with a benefactor and some external investment I would see this as an important strand of the clubs business.

For anyone who hasn’t taken advantage of the free football on offer I would heartily recommend a trip to Carrow Road to take a look at the new intake. Hopefully the Checkatrade trophy and the European competition will see some extra games staged at headquarters. The prospect of watching the new boys on a balmy evening in late summer with a cuppa tea is piquing my enthusiasm for football,

Watching MOTD again beause of course I am. The first goal made by an overlapping Byram making space for an advancing Tettey, that's right Tettey to take the ball wide, cross to win the corner. Hard to pick an MoM but Tettey was immense after so little football #ncfc

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